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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2403      2007 Dec 19 15.00UT
Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise,  Basingstoke,
Hants, RG22 4PP,England.Telephone/FAX(01256)471074Int:+441256471074
INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK      Backup: gmh@wdcc1.bnsc.rl.ac.uk
WORLD WIDE WEB                         http://www.theastronomer.org
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UK CONTRIUBUTIONS TO PARTICLE PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
Dr. Boris Gaensicke, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics
University of Warwick writes:

Over the past few weeks, there have been dramatic developments within 
STFC, the research council that funds among others astronomy research in 
the UK. What seems to have happened is a fundamental shift in what the 
council and the government, see as research priorities, with a severe 
cut in fundamental physics research areas such as astronomy or particle 
physics.

These cuts will lead to the closure of / withdrawal from a large number 
of telescope facilities. In the area of ground-based astronomy, 
withdrawal from the Isaac Newton Telescope Group on La Palma, and Gemini 
South are pretty much decided, but Gemini North, UKIRT, and the 
Liverpool Telescope are also under threat (and we have already pulled 
out of the AAT). This will be accompanied by cuts in research grants to 
Universities who were using those facilities. Along the same lines, 
solar physics and space astronomy will be hit. In simple words, 
astronomy research in the UK, currently among the best in the world, 
will really suffer.

All of this came with little warning, and with little consultation of 
the research community, and it comes at a time where the Government is 
still concerned about the number of students taking up science topics in 
school and at University.

There is now an approved (e)-petition online to collect signatures 
regarding the funding situation for physics. Petitions with sufficient 
number of signatories are forwarded to the government who then needs to 
come back with a response.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Physics-Funding/

Please find below some background information:
STFC's decision to withdraw from Gemini
http://www.stfc.ac.uk/About/Strat/Council/gemini.aspx

STFC's delivery plan 2008/9-2011/12 (see p.6 for the plans in
astronomy)
http://www.stfc.ac.uk/About/Strat/Council/STFC_DelPLan.aspx

An article on the STFC funding crisis on BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7137387.stm

RAS 'dismay' at deep cuts to UK astronomy research
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1369&Item
id=2

UK pulls out of key physics and astronomy projects (New Scientist)
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn13045-uk-pulls-out-of-key-physics
-and-astronomy-projects.html?feedId=online-news_rss20

Physics and astronomy research face "catastrophic" cuts (Nature)
http://www.nature.com/news/2007/071211/full/news.2007.366.html

Editor: Although the largest impact is on the work of professional 
astronomers, as amateurs I think we should give our support in the 
petition to fight these cutbacks.

Guy M Hurst